The Medium by Andrew A. Rosen — The Information Subscriptions

Monday AM Briefing: The Cola Wars, Retail Velocity & Why I Disagree With "The Streaming Wars"

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: The Cola Wars, Retail Velocity & Why I Disagree With "The Streaming Wars"

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 30, 2022 8:16 PM PST

About 10 years ago I sat across from Shelly Palmer at an Un-Conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and discussed with him why I believed linear ad sales were effectively the obstacle to digital growth at Viacom. He paused for a second, and then asked "Do you know why linear ad inventory is still more valuable than digital to... About 10 years ago I sat across from Shelly Palmer at an Un-Conference in Jackson Hole,...

e-commerce media/telecom

Friday Mailing: Where Web3 & Legacy Media Overlap

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 28, 2022 10:54 AM PST

Because the chatter around Web3 and media is picking up steam, I figured this is as good a time as any to write about why haven't written about the topic yet (though I have written about the Metaverse in MGM Resorts M life "Convergence" vs. "Metaverse" Convergence).Last Thanksgiving I listened to a podcast interview with Eric Golden - a... Because the chatter around Web3 and media is picking up steam, I figured this is as good a time...

Member Mailing: If Streaming Growth *Is* Slowing, What Will Advertisers Buy In CTV?

entertainment media/telecom

Member Mailing: If Streaming Growth Is Slowing, What Will Advertisers Buy In CTV?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 26, 2022 7:28 AM PST

Key TakeawaysThe Connected TV ad marketplace has transformed from a growth story into a story about growing risk for all participantsAVODs and FASTs need higher CPMs from CTV and are betting on them for revenue growthOne implication is ad buyers seem not to currently value CTV inventory at the prices ad sellers offer. Reach is a... Key TakeawaysThe Connected TV ad marketplace has transformed from a growth story into a story...

Monday AM Briefing: Netflix's Hubris, Markets Cool to Warner Bros. Discovery

Monday AM Briefing: Netflix's Hubris, Markets Cool to Warner Bros. Discovery

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 24, 2022 3:00 AM PST

Monday AM Briefing: Netflix's Hubris, Markets Cool to Warner Bros. Discovery

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Netflix's Hubris, Markets Cool to Warner Bros. Discovery

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 24, 2022 3:00 AM PST

* I wrote an essay for the Opinion section of The Information last week, "Why YouTube Sees Hollywood’s Future in the Creator Economy". It dove into the symbolism and significance of the departure of YouTube Global Head of Original Content Susanne Daniels, which came six weeks after the release of MrBeast's real-life version of Netflix’s Squid... * I wrote an essay for the Opinion section of The Information last week, "Why YouTube Sees...

Friday Mailing: Disney's Reorg, Netflix's Q4 2021 Marketing Expenses

e-commerce entertainment

Friday Mailing: Disney's Reorg, Netflix's Q4 2021 Marketing Expenses

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 21, 2022 10:30 AM PST

It's been an eventful three days with both an(other) announced Disney reorg and Netflix's Q4 2021 earnings.Disney announced:To support the ongoing expansion of The Walt Disney Company’s direct-to-consumer business around the world and fuel the expanding pipeline of local and regional content for its streaming services, the Company is creating a... It's been an eventful three days with both an(other) announced Disney reorg and Netflix's Q4 2021...

Member Mailing: Does $115B+ in Content Spend Reflect Inelastic Demand? Or Marketing Challenges in Streaming, Instead ?

e-commerce entertainment

Member Mailing: Does $115B+ in Content Spend Reflect Inelastic Demand? Or Marketing Challenges in Streaming, Instead ?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 19, 2022 7:37 AM PST

Key TakeawaysMarketing is emerging as a pain point in direct-to-consumer models in 2022, and streaming is not immuneNot even Netflix is immune, something we learned from Nielsen's latest The GaugeA big emerging question is how the seemingly inelastic demand for content from streamers reconciles with that pain pointWhat we perceive as inelastic... Key TakeawaysMarketing is emerging as a pain point in direct-to-consumer models in 2022, and...

Monday AM Briefing: Nielsen's The Gauge, Netflix's Price Hike, Raise A Big Question in CTV

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Nielsen's The Gauge, Netflix's Price Hike, Raise A Big Question in CTV

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 17, 2022 3:30 AM PST

It was an unusual move by Netflix to embrace Nielsen's The Gauge in its Q3 2021 letter to shareholders, though unsurprising given Co-CEO Reed Hastings' public endorsement of The Gauge in Q2 2021. The Gauge suggests a worse story for Netflix in December than it had in May: But, in December, Nielsen "expanded viewing share calculations... It was an unusual move by Netflix to embrace Nielsen's The Gauge in its Q3 2021 letter to...

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 14, 2022 11:00 AM PST

Friday Mailing: What will IAC Chairman Barry Diller Say About Streaming in 2022?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 14, 2022 11:00 AM PST

Researching Wednesday's Member Mailing - Chapek's "Three Pillars" for Disney's Future Faces Tough Trade-Offs In Sports Betting - brought me back to the roots of the PARQOR Hypothesis, which were two mailings from August 2020 (NOTE: these are in pre-Information and pre-Substack formatting):An essay on IAC Chairman Barry Diller's snarky... Researching Wednesday's Member Mailing - Chapek's "Three Pillars" for Disney's Future Faces Tough...

Member Mailing: Chapek's "Three Pillars" for Disney's Future Faces Tough Trade-Offs In Sports Betting

e-commerce entertainment

Member Mailing: Chapek's "Three Pillars" for Disney's Future Faces Tough Trade-Offs In Sports Betting

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 12, 2022 8:33 AM PST

Key TakeawaysOn Monday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent out a memo outlining three pillars for the future of DisneyOne pillar argues for a "relentless focus on our audience", and "We must evolve with our audience, not work against them"Sports betting confronts Disney with a future where neither will 100% own the sports betting consumerThe sports... Key TakeawaysOn Monday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek sent out a memo outlining three pillars for...

Monday AM Briefing: Is It Really a "New World" for Connected TV Ad Buyers?

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Is It Really a "New World" for Connected TV Ad Buyers?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 10, 2022 3:30 AM PST

ICYMI, I sent out Lessons From 2021 to everyone, and Predictions for 2022 exclusive to Members, only.To read these Predictions, and both the essay and Top 5 Highest-Converting Member Mailings of 2021, below, sign up for a membership by clicking the "Subscribe" button. Subscribe Is It Really a "New World" for... ICYMI, I sent out Lessons From 2021 to everyone, and Predictions for 2022...

Friday Mailing: NBCU, The Winter Olympics & First Party Data; A Follow-Up re: Blackstone & Candle Media

e-commerce entertainment

Friday Mailing: NBCU, The Winter Olympics & First Party Data; A Follow-Up re: Blackstone & Candle Media

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 7, 2022 10:31 AM PST

NBCU, The Winter Olympics & First Party DataTwo developments from this past week Comcast/NBCUniversal's Peacock are worth highlighting.The first is the announcement that all Winter Olympics events will be available to watch on Peacock for paying subscribers, only. The second is a quote from Linda Yaccarino, chairman, global... NBCU, The Winter Olympics & First Party DataTwo developments from this past week...

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 6, 2022 11:57 AM PST

entertainment media/telecom

A Short Essay on IAC Chairman Barry Diller’s Newest Opinions on AT&T, Comcast and Disney

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 6, 2022 11:57 AM PST

IAC Chairman Barry Diller has been a favorite source of insights on streaming for me. I wrote back in August as to why:The short answer is, Diller is a successful executive with both past extraordinary success in legacy media, and who is finding success in DTC after having taken his lumps in digital media.Diller offers an interesting... IAC Chairman Barry Diller has been a favorite source of insights on streaming for me. I...

e-commerce google

Member Mailing: Three More Acquisitions from Blackstone's Candle Media (Kevin Mayer & Tom Staggs)

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 5, 2022 9:30 AM PST

Key TakeawaysThe new media venture from Blackstone and ex-Disney executives Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer is now Candle Media Their business logic, in broad brushstrokes, bets primarily on near-guaranteed growing production revenues from streamingThe challenge for Candle Media in both the creator economy and in OTT streaming is cutting... Key TakeawaysThe new media venture from Blackstone and ex-Disney executives Tom Staggs and Kevin...

Monday AM Briefing: Two Objectives for 2022 & The Curse of the Mogul Strikes Back in 2022

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Two Objectives for 2022 & The Curse of the Mogul Strikes Back in 2022

By Andrew A. Rosen · Jan. 3, 2022 3:30 AM PST

Two Objectives for 2022Happy New Year!It's a new year for PARQOR on a new platform. I want to take a moment to share two key objectives for 2022:Objective #1To further build out and flesh out our value propositions of:Revealing insights (our new tagline), andAnticipating market developmentsI started reading Maria Konnikova's The Biggest... Two Objectives for 2022Happy New Year!It's a new year for PARQOR on a new platform. I want to...

Predictions for 2022

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 22, 2021 3:30 AM PST

Dear Member,Thank you for being a member. Your support was essential to helping PARQOR to reach a significant milestone in 2021: launching as the first member of The Information’s Newsletter Network. Over the past six weeks, we have been working on laying the groundwork for building out more of those benefits on top of The... Dear Member,Thank you for being a member. Your support was essential to helping PARQOR to reach a...

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 20, 2021 3:30 AM PST

entertainment media/telecom

Lessons from 2021

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 20, 2021 3:30 AM PST

[Author's Note: A reminder that today's Lessons of 2021 mailing is for all members.The Predictions for 2021 mailing (tomorrow or Wednesday) will be for Members, only.]With 2021 coming to an end, it is worth looking back on the year for lessons from PARQOR's Five Frameworks and a few new themes that emerged throughout 2021.I think the biggest –... [Author's Note: A reminder that today's Lessons of 2021 mailing is for all members.The...

google entertainment

Friday Mailing: More on Why MrBeast's Squid Game Matters in 2022

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 17, 2021 9:38 AM PST

[Author's Note: The two final mailings are going to be Lessons of 2021 (Monday) and Predictions for 2022 (Tuesday or Wednesday). Predictions will aim to offer a thoughtful take on the moving pieces of the post-"streaming wars" marketplace after 2021, and how they will play out in 2022. Predictions will be exclusive to Members, only.I built... [Author's Note: The two final mailings are going to be Lessons of 2021 (Monday) and Predictions...

Member Mailing: What YouTube's Transparency Reveals for 2022 & Beyond

google entertainment

Member Mailing: What YouTube's Transparency Reveals for 2022 & Beyond

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 15, 2021 7:30 AM PST

Key TakeawaysTransparency from Netflix and YouTube has set the market standards against which everyone else measured and evaluated.YouTube's transparency and growing creator economy suggests that it is an emerging roadblock for all streaming servicesMrBeast's success with Squid Game implies 2MM emerging YouTube creators to compete with... Key TakeawaysTransparency from Netflix and YouTube has set the market standards against which...

Monday AM Briefing: In 2021 "Pull Forward" But "Not Quite There Yet"

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 13, 2021 7:03 AM PST

Looking back on 2021, I think two broad trends played out over the year in the post-"streaming wars" marketplace:The "pull-forward" impact of the pandemic, andThe "not quite there yet" outcome for every company in mediaThe "pull-forward" impact of the pandemic was first mentioned by Netflix management in Q1 2020. It was prescient, and has... Looking back on 2021, I think two broad trends played out over the year in the post-"streaming...

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 10, 2021 9:46 AM PST

entertainment media/telecom

Friday Mailing: Paramount+ Bets on User Interface... While Warner Discovery Bros. Talks Up Content

By Andrew A. Rosen · Dec. 10, 2021 9:46 AM PST

This week's Member Mailing went out on Wednesday morning. Why Q3 2022 Will Be –and Won't Be – A Turning Point for RSNs dove into the moving pieces of the Regional Sports Networks marketplace for 2022 and beyond.I hosted a Twitter Spaces with Brandon Katz of Morning Brew to discuss it last night. At the end of the conversation, I realized... This week's Member Mailing went out on Wednesday morning. Why Q3 2022 Will Be –and Won't Be – A...