Product Strategy | MIDiA Research

Why the era of spatial computing will need its entertainment moment

Tim Mulligan

11 Jan 2024

On Monday, Apple announced the February 2ndlaunch date for the Vision Pro. For those unfamiliar with this hybrid augmented reality virtual reality device, it is, in the words of the press release : “A...

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Smart TV operators are gamifying engagement – here is how they can dial it up a notch

Ben Woods

4 Jan 2024

Smart TV

Sky

roku

Tracking Father Christmas’ journey on a smartphone app is a festive tradition of the modern era. Much like leaving a carrot out for Rudolf, many families are now logging on come Christmas Eve to keep...

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Audiobooks enter their streaming era, but will it pay off?

Rutger Rosenborg

3 Jan 2024

audiobooks

Spotify

Streaming

Most people agree that streaming saved the recorded music industry, but that only happened because demonetised digital consumption helped bring it to the brink of death in the first place. The internet...

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Who will be the winners in video as the walled gardens of entertainment recede?

Ben Woods

21 Dec 2023

YouTube

Amazon

Protectionist measures that kept the streaming wars alive are being wound back. Licenced content is back in vogue, despite streaming TV being built on exclusive shows. Competitive tensions are cooling...

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Music and AI
Beyond the hype cycle

Tatiana Cirisano

December 2023

Business Strategy

As with any emerging technology, recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have set in motion a flurry of excitement and investment, as well as fear and litigation. In this environment, it is...

Predicting what happens next in video….

Tim Mulligan

19 Dec 2023

2024 predictions

video predictions

OpenAI

If 2023 was the year of consolidation in video, 2024 is poised to be one of experimentation and disruption. First up, the lag in content output as a result of this year’s writers and actors strikes left...

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MIDiA’s 2024 predictions: The algorithm is not listening

Mark Mulligan

18 Dec 2023

midia predictions

2024 predictions

tech predictions

November is one of my favourite times of year, as an analyst anyways. Why? Because it is when the MIDiA team pool their collective brainpower to formulate our end-of-year predictions. What gives our predictions...

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How back catalogue shows can soften the blow from the Hollywood strikes in 2024

Ben Woods

15 Dec 2023

Netflix

NBC Universal

Hollywood Strikes

It is that time of year when MIDiA Research makes its annual predictions for 2024 . While there is a strong track record of accuracy, there will always be unforeseen opportunities and challenges that boost...

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MIDiA’s 2024 predictions report
The algorithm is not listening

Cover image for MIDiA’s 2024 predictions report

Mark Mulligan, Tim Mulligan, Karol Severin, Hanna Kahlert, Kriss Thakrar, Ashleigh Millar, Tatiana Cirisano, Perry Gresham, Kazia Rothwell and Ben Woods

December 2023

Business Strategy

2023 was another year of change and disruption. 2024 will be even more defined by change than the years that preceded it. But much of this change will be defined by reaction more than action. The unintended...

Skydance is seeking to become of Paramount importance for streaming

Tim Mulligan

12 Dec 2023

Skydance media

Skydance

Paramount

The tectonic plates of consolidation are once again on the move with The New York Times breaking the story on Sunday that Shari Redstone, the President of National Amusements, Inc. (NAI) and Chair of Paramount...

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Squid Game: The Challenge - successfully spinning new content from existing IP

Tim Mulligan

5 Dec 2023

Strategy

Squid Game: The Challenge

Squid Game

Tomorrow sees the release of the final episode of season one of Squid Game: The Challenge, the reality game show spin-off of the 2021 dystopian global hit episodic drama Squid Game . The original drama...

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Features versus fandom: Why TikTok is trying to become more like YouTube

Hanna Kahlert

4 Dec 2023

TikTok

YouTube

Strategy

TikTok’s emergence in Western markets shook the entire social media landscape, by reintroducing what Vine had done over a decade earlier: short-form video. The snappy, to-the-punchline clips were easy...

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Can ReelShort succeed with short-form video entertainment where Quibi failed?

Ben Woods

30 Nov 2023

ReelShort

TikTok

YouTube

A little over three years ago some of America’s most notable entertainment executives killed off an attempt to revolutionise smartphone entertainment. The ill-fated platform, spearheaded by former Walt...

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Why Amazon’s road to the Bond millions is part of a bigger plan

Tim Mulligan

28 Nov 2023

007: Road to a Million

007

James Bond

Earlier this month, Amazon released 007: Road to a Million onto Amazon Prime Video (Prime) – its subscription video on demand (SVOD) service. As the biggest investment into an unscripted reality show...

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The $100m+ in-game opportunity behind music producers

Kriss Thakrar

15 Nov 2023

Music creators

monetizing fandom

creator tools

MIDiA’s latest forecasts predict that the video game industry will be worth over $300 billion in 2030, a figure that makes a minnow out of a music industry that will reach $87 billion in retail terms...

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Why measuring video attention requires nuance

Tim Mulligan

14 Nov 2023

video measurement

ASI 2023

FAST

Last week’s ASI conference provided a forum for those grappling with measuring ad engagement to coalesce around some of the common aims required to quantify the value of consumer attention. The overarching...

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Embracing the cultural ascent of games: Zelda, Sony, and games-video symbiosis

Perry Gresham

10 Nov 2023

Legend of Zelda

Mario

Sony Pictures

Gaming has been mainstream for a while, but in recent years it has started flexing its cross-cultural muscles, intersecting with music, sports, and increasingly with video . The latest example is a new...

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Games industry returns to growth, but inflationary pressures will make it worse off still

Karol Severin

7 Nov 2023

games forecast

games market

Games

Following over a decade of stellar growth (for an industry that is 50-years-old), the growth pace of the global video games industry has arguably peaked. The grand finale of its growth heyday was artificially...

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How Spotify’s new model could accelerate a forking of music

Tatiana Cirisano

2 Nov 2023

Spotify

Music Streaming

TikTok

Spotify’s new royalty model is the latest attempt to try to bring streaming royalties in line with the dynamics of todays’ streaming market. It has many laudable objectives and intentions, but there...

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Why Amazon is bringing FAST to podcasts

Tim Mulligan

31 Oct 2023

Podcast video

Wondery

FAST

Last week, Wondery , an Amazon-owned podcast studio,announced the launch of three new free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Amazon’s FAST service, Freevee. These channels will join the lineup...

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