Industry News
SELECTED ITEMS OF INTEREST TO THE MEDIA COMMUNITY
Ted Lasso and Suits For the Win!
Americans streamed an incredible 21 million years’ worth of content last year, a significant 17% increase in time spent with streaming over 2022. While TV usage overall is flat year over year, streaming now makes up the largest category of viewership over cable and broadcast. The actors’ and writers’ strikes lowered production of new shows in 2023 and an adjustment in content licensing strategies away from service exclusivity led to some surprising trends.
- Suits, a popular but never top hit show that aired on USA Network from 2011 to 2019 hit Netflix and Peacock where it combined for the most total minutes viewed over all acquired series across all platforms.
- In the original program category, the can-do series Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ came in as the number one series in total minutes viewed, even though there is a smaller number of subscribers to AppleTV+ over Netflix,
See more details from Nielsen here.
#strategy #media #consulting #streaming #viewerbehavior
A Sudden - and Significant - Change in How Podcast Listeners are Counted
Changes in the way that Apple reports podcast audiences have sent the industry reeling, according to an analysis in Semafor. Apple, the leading podcast platform, has started switching off automatic downloads for users who don't listen to five new episodes of a show within two weeks. As a result, many podcasts have seen dramatic drops in listeners, including some shows that are believed to be the most listened to in the world. The shift, described as "technical" by Apple, came without warning. Among the possible consequences of the changes is the way listeners are counted:
- Many podcasts are now having difficulty determining the true size of their audiences.
- Some advertising deals were based on audience numbers that may no longer be achievable.
- Some podcasts might now struggle to meet minimum download agreements.
Read more of the Semafor story here.
#media #strategy #consulting
Print Magazines Take a Licking - But Keep on Ticking
The widely-held assumption that print magazines would disappear once digital options became popular has been to a surprising degree disproven, according to an analysis in The Conversation. While the number of print magazines has decreased in the online era, due to factors including demand for constantly updated content and the shift of advertising dollars to social media, print magazines continue to find an audience. Established publications including "The New Yorker" and "Vogue" have subscribers for both their digital and print formats. And new titles continue to be launched, including more than 120 print magazines in the U.S. in 2021. Among the reasons print continues to endure:
- Consumers still value the physical experience of reading.
- "Digital fatigue" has heightened the appeal of print.
- Print magazines may have more pleasing aesthetics than digital options, particularly important for fashion and travel publications, which feature photographs and visual design.
Read more of The Conversation story here.
#media #strategy #consulting
