Product Strategy | MIDiA Research

Live streamed concert demand
Ready for prime time

Cover image for Live streamed concert demand

Mark Mulligan, Karol Severin and Kriss Thakrar

May 2021

Virtual concerts went from zero to a hundred at an unprecedented rate during the pandemic-shaped 2020, and the momentum carried through to 2021. But if lockdown years are like dog years, then so too the...

Hi-Res audio: It’s all about a maturing market

Mark Mulligan

21 May 2021

Streaming

hi res audio

Dolby Atmos

Apple and Amazon made a splash this week by integrating Hi-Res Dolby Atmos audio into the basic tiers of their streaming services . The timing, i.e. just after Spotify started increasing prices, is –...

min read

Podcast audiences
Competing for attention

Mark Mulligan

May 2021

US

UK

France

2020 was a big year for podcasts, with increased investment, M&A activity and industry moves. Audiences grew too, but still lag behind in hype and expectation, and a portion of this growth has come...

In-game spending
Cross-entertainment product strategy

Karol Severin

April 2021

YouTube

multitasking

Twitch

Games revenue growth is about to slow, with in-game spending the sector set to retain most momentum. Simultaneously, other entertainment sectors will actively seek to monetise digital fandom. Future games...

Spotify pushes prices up, but do not expect dramatic effects

Mark Mulligan

27 Apr 2021

Spotify

spotify pricing

streaming pricing

Spotify finally announced a significant price increase, raising prices in the UK and some of Europe, with the US set to follow suit. The increases affect Family, Duo and Student plans. The fact that streaming...

min read

The case for next-generation spectator modes in games

Karol Severin

26 Apr 2021

spectator mode

games video

lean-in

The increasing need for digital expression, co-creation, and managing friction in the saturated attention economy presents a lucrative opportunity to bring the in-game spectating experience to the next...

min read

Creator culture
The song becomes the feed

Mark Mulligan and Kriss Thakrar

April 2021

creators

Spotify

The creator tools marketplace is creating a revolution in the culture and business of music. The third decade of the millennium represents the opening of a new chapter for the music business, with the...

The social studio will empower the next million producers

Kriss Thakrar

23 Apr 2021

creator tools

Social Studio

social media

MIDiA recently explored the concept of the social studio and the more sophisticated tools for creation that are being embedded in social media platforms. It did not take long for this to go from concept...

min read

What live in 2021 can learn from live in 1921

Tim Mulligan

16 Apr 2021

sports broadcasting

live streaming

virtual concerts

Nearly a hundred years ago in July 1921, the entertainment world changed forever thanks to the efforts of David Sarnoff, a Belarusian emigree to the US who headed up the Radio Corporation of America (RCA)....

min read

Social media is becoming a social studio

Kriss Thakrar

13 Apr 2021

creator tools

social media

TikTok

Social media platforms have spent the past decade redefining what it means to be a visual creator. They are now on the cusp of doing the same with music. TikTok has announced a wave of new features , including...

min read

Creator tools platforms could become social networks

Mark Mulligan

31 Mar 2021

Music

Product Strategy

With all the growing interest and investment in creator tools companies, music production platform Bandlab hitting 30 million users points to a longer-term future for the space – one in which the boundaries...

min read

How Amazon could enhance its NFL coverage with virtual concert experiences

Kriss Thakrar

30 Mar 2021

SVOD

Amazon Prime

NFL

Amazon Prime has acquired the exclusive Thursday Night Football (TNF) rights to 15 NFL games, marking a new era for the world’s most valuable sports league. This shift is a giant step towards the normalisation...

min read

Roblox, piracy and the future of music in UGC 2.0

Kriss Thakrar

19 Mar 2021

user generated content

music piracy

Roblox

A community of Roblox users are losing a battle against moderation as the platform cracks down on music piracy, due to the platform’s newly public status bringing with it a new level of responsibility....

min read

Is gaming the solution to sports’ Gen Z problem?

Alistair Taylor

8 Mar 2021

gaming

Games

esports

It has been well-documented that Gen Z’s and Generation Alpha’s interest in watching live sports has waned . It is important to dispel the notion that the younger cohorts are less likely to engage...

min read

Paramount + gets ready to compete outside the traditional video streaming lane

Tim Mulligan

25 Feb 2021

paramount plus

d2c

Yesterday was a big day for ViacomCBS. The year of integration and uncertainty following the merger of Viacom and CBS in December 2019 has finally ended. The core rationale behind both key constituents...

min read

Hulu + Live subscriber losses point to intensifying US video attention battle

Tim Mulligan

16 Feb 2021

SVOD

hulu

Hulu Plus Live

On February 11th, Disney released its results for Q4 2020. The focus was on the continuing growth for the media major’s direct to consumer (D2C) business. Although still loss-leading, the D2C segment...

min read

Driving cross-generational appeal in entertainment universes

Karol Severin

8 Feb 2021

cross-generational

gen z

universe

Building and maintaining cross-generational appeal in entertainment is hard. A key challenge is in catering to seemingly wildly different consumer segments with the inherent risk of targeting ‘kind of...

min read

Watch Together: BT Sport adapts to lockdown, offering synchronised group streaming

Alistair Taylor

4 Feb 2021

BT

BT Sport

telco

The pandemic-enforced prohibition of fans in attendance at sporting events has weakened the viewing spectacle, forcing rights holders and operators to experiment with the viewing experience. The NHL pioneered...

min read

Music Product Strategy Re-boot
Time to Monetise Fandom, Not Access

Cover image for Music Product Strategy Re-boot

Mark Mulligan

January 2021

Innovation

Spotify

As streaming reaches maturity in many of the largest music markets and middle-tier artists struggle to make ends meet with the live music hiatus, the time has come for a music product strategy re-boot...

Why the NFL is targeting ‘cord-nevers’

Alistair Taylor

14 Jan 2021

Sports

Video

Covid-19

For decades, rights holders have prioritised (and relied upon) exponentially increasing broadcast revenues as a mechanism for sustainability and growth, a legacy approach that is in dire need of a review...

min read