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Member Mailing: Comparing Netflix & HBO Max Conversion Funnels

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Member Mailing: Comparing Netflix & HBO Max Conversion Funnels

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 13, 2022 12:06 PM PDT

Now-former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s farewell tour has revealed new details about HBO Max’s conversion funnel (I wrote about one of those details, the championing of product channel fit, on Monday). In particular, his interviews with Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw and Puck’s Matt Belloni offered some data points into the HBO Max conversion... Now-former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar’s farewell tour has revealed new details about HBO Max’s...

Monday AM Briefing: The Jason Kilar Farewell Press Tour Preaches Product Channel Fit

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Monday AM Briefing: The Jason Kilar Farewell Press Tour Preaches Product Channel Fit

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 11, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

I returned to the Hollywood Breaks podcast last Friday (NOTE: I was last on it in August 2021). We had a fun conversation that covers territory about last week's Oscars broadcast that few else seem to have covered: specifically, how Will Smith is both an avatar and a figurehead for the Hollywood-Meets-Creator Economy given his embrace... I returned to the Hollywood Breaks podcast last Friday (NOTE: I was last on it in August 2021)....

Friday Mailing: The Tiger Woods Comeback Story vs. Streaming Bundles

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Friday Mailing: The Tiger Woods Comeback Story vs. Streaming Bundles

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 8, 2022 11:01 AM PDT

Both hard bundles and “aggregator 2.0” bundles are different solutions to the same problems: (1) scaling a streaming app’s user base by offering ease of opting-in, and (2) also retaining the user.To remind you:According to Paramount Global President and CEO of Streaming Tom Ryan, hard bundles are when a streamer works with a local provider “to... Both hard bundles and “aggregator 2.0” bundles are different solutions to the same problems: (1)...

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 6, 2022 1:00 PM PDT

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Member Mailing: Deloitte Data Explains Netflix's Next Chapter with Gaming

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 6, 2022 1:00 PM PDT

Yesterday WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced he is stepping down on Friday. I wrote about his vision for streaming and gaming in "Four Powerful Growth Vectors" for Modern Storytelling Companies, Which Ones Are Viable?”Overall, yesterday’s executive departures from WarnerMedia (nine in total, including Kilar, Warner Bros. CEO Ann... Yesterday WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar announced he is stepping down on Friday. I wrote about his...

Monday AM Briefing: Disney+ Hotstar & Netflix Face Two Different Paths to Growth in India

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Monday AM Briefing: Disney+ Hotstar & Netflix Face Two Different Paths to Growth in India

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 4, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

As of FY Q1 2022 for Disney, Disney+ Hotstar constitutes 40% of total Disney+ subscribers. This 40% has been the long-term guidance from Disney management. Some part of that number can be attributed to Indian Premier League cricket (IPL), a rights deal which came with the Hotstar acquisition via Fox.The Indian Premier League, or IPL, is one of... As of FY Q1 2022 for Disney, Disney+ Hotstar constitutes 40% of total Disney+ subscribers. This...

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Friday Mailing: Blackstone's Candle Media Bet after "The Slap" At The Oscars

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 1, 2022 10:36 AM PDT

Of places I’d love to be a fly on the wall after "the slap" at Sunday’s Oscars, it’s at Candle Media. Why?Because in January, they invested $60MM for 10% of Westbrook Inc., the media company founded by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.Candle Media's business logic, in broad brushstrokes, is making bets on both guaranteed growing production... Of places I’d love to be a fly on the wall after "the slap" at Sunday’s Oscars, it’s at Candle...

Member Mailing: Has Netflix Shifted the Goalposts of The Streaming Game for Apple, Disney & Warner Bros. Discovery?

Member Mailing: Has Netflix Shifted the Goalposts of The Streaming Game for Apple, Disney & Warner Bros. Discovery?

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 30, 2022 9:30 AM PDT

The past few weeks of PARQOR mailings have had a general theme: how each of the leading streamers has been (re)positioning themselves for growth. There is the popular path of pivoting into AVOD which market leaders Disney+ and HBO Max have opted to reach a larger total addressable market (TAM). Then there is Netflix zagging where the market... The past few weeks of PARQOR mailings have had a general theme: how each of the leading streamers...

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 28, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

Monday AM Briefing: Is Netflix's Mobile Games Strategy or Epic Games Antitrust Strategy Better vs. Apple?

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 28, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

Last September I wrote A Short Essay on “Aggregator Bundling 2.0” & Convergence After Epic v. Apple (available for free on PARQOR's Substack archive).That essay used Larry Lessig's "pathetic dot" to explain why Apple's App Store and iOS software were not a problem of antitrust law. Instead, in "pathetic dot" terms, Apple’s... Last September I wrote A Short Essay on “Aggregator Bundling 2.0” & Convergence After...

Friday Mailing: Was Netflix's Gaming Strategy Revealed In Its Boss Fight Entertainment Press Release?

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Friday Mailing: Was Netflix's Gaming Strategy Revealed In Its Boss Fight Entertainment Press Release?

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 25, 2022 10:42 AM PDT

Yesterday Netflix announced it was acquiring a third independent gaming developer, Boss Fight Entertainment. But I thought the quote from Boss Fight was more notable:“Boss Fight’s mission is to bring simple, beautiful, and fun game experiences to our players wherever they want to play,” said the founders of Boss Fight Entertainment. “... Yesterday Netflix announced it was acquiring a third independent gaming developer, Boss...

Member Mailing: "Four Powerful Growth Vectors" for Modern Storytelling Companies, Which Ones Are Viable?

entertainment media/telecom

Member Mailing: "Four Powerful Growth Vectors" for Modern Storytelling Companies, Which Ones Are Viable?

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 23, 2022 10:47 AM PDT

Key TakeawaysHow will media companies find growth at a time when streaming growth seems harder to come by?WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar recently suggested there are four vectors: streaming, FAST channels, gaming and digital collectiblesWe can see which media companies are the best positioned modern storytelling companies in the 21st century... Key TakeawaysHow will media companies find growth at a time when streaming growth seems harder to...

Monday AM Briefing: Chapek v Iger; (Exclusive for Members) discovery+, HBO Max & Software

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Monday AM Briefing: Chapek v Iger; (Exclusive for Members) discovery+, HBO Max & Software

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 21, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

First, I had a brief exchange with WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar on Twitter, after he responded to my opinion piece on The Information - "A Vibe Shift Is Brewing in Streaming".He goes on to have an exchange with me and a few others on the topics of physical vs. digital collectibles, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and the businesses have "a big opportunity... First, I had a brief exchange with WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar on Twitter, after he responded to...

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 18, 2022 10:30 AM PDT

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Friday Mailing: Mark My Words, We Must Imagine Other Business Models for Netflix Than Advertising

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 18, 2022 10:30 AM PDT

I have a new opinion piece up on The Information, "A Vibe Shift Is Brewing In Streaming". The question I answer is, after a disorienting six months in the streaming marketplace, what will replace the “streaming wars” paradigm?There has been lots of discussion about Netflix's future after CFO Spencer Neumann's appearance at the Morgan Stanley... I have a new opinion piece up on The Information, "A Vibe Shift Is Brewing In Streaming". The...

Member Mailing: "Aggregate Audience" in Sports Streaming & Why More Deals = More Consumer Confusion

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Member Mailing: "Aggregate Audience" in Sports Streaming & Why More Deals = More Consumer Confusion

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 16, 2022 10:30 AM PDT

Key TakeawaysOver the past two weeks, there has been a flurry of deals and developments in sports streaming But, streaming is not (yet) a one-to-one replacement for linear distribution of sports broadcastsThe flurry of recent streaming deals suggest it may never beThis has implications for both recent sports streaming deals and... Key TakeawaysOver the past two weeks, there has been a flurry of deals and developments in sports...

Monday AM Briefing: More on Paramount+'s "Hard Bundles", (Members only: Yuga Labs Acquires CryptoPunks & Meebits IP from Larva Labs)

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Monday AM Briefing: More on Paramount+'s "Hard Bundles", (Members only: Yuga Labs Acquires CryptoPunks & Meebits IP from Larva Labs)

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 14, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

I wrote a bunch last week about Paramount Global's decision to build "hard bundles". In thinking more about it - because it is a significant tactical move to drive scale - I'm not sold we have a solid definition of what a "hard bundle: is because we don't have the "ins and outs of the deal".This was a point made to me by former NBCU executive... I wrote a bunch last week about Paramount Global's decision to build "hard bundles". In thinking...

Friday Mailing: Legacy Media pivots aways from their SVOD ambitions

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Friday Mailing: Legacy Media pivots aways from their SVOD ambitions

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 11, 2022 11:02 AM PST

Over the past week, a wide variety of interviews with executives in the streaming business have emerged, in part because of the ongoing Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, Disney CFO Christine McCarthy, Netflix CFO Spencer Neumann and Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish all spoke at the... Over the past week, a wide variety of interviews with executives in the streaming business have...

Member Mailing: WarnerMedia & Netflix's Narrow but Fascinating Challenges in AVOD & Gaming

Member Mailing: WarnerMedia & Netflix's Narrow but Fascinating Challenges in AVOD & Gaming

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 9, 2022 10:40 AM PST

Member Mailing: WarnerMedia & Netflix's Narrow but Fascinating Challenges in AVOD & Gaming

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Member Mailing: WarnerMedia & Netflix's Narrow but Fascinating Challenges in AVOD & Gaming

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 9, 2022 10:40 AM PST

Key TakeawaysAVOD and gaming highlight two fascinating strategic challenges for WarnerMedia and Netflix. Recent data on Gen Z and millennials seem to reflect substantial changes in consumer behavior on the demand side. But, from WarnerMedia and Netflix's perspectives, gaming and AVOD are not sure-fire bets on capturing these... Key TakeawaysAVOD and gaming highlight two fascinating strategic challenges for WarnerMedia and...

Monday AM Briefing: Paramount+ & Ubiquitous Distribution, Verizon Expands Its "Aggregator 2.0" Bundle

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Monday AM Briefing: Paramount+ & Ubiquitous Distribution, Verizon Expands Its "Aggregator 2.0" Bundle

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 7, 2022 3:30 AM PST

Paramount+ & Ubiquitous DistributionI was interviewed by The Verge's Catie Keck last week for an article about the future of Paramount+ in "Paramount Plus is still figuring out Paramount Plus".To prepare for the interview I re-read the transcript of the Q4 2021 earnings call, and I realized I'd missed a fascinating detail about its... Paramount+ & Ubiquitous DistributionI was interviewed by The Verge's Catie Keck last week for...

Friday Mailing: Disney+ AVOD and The Market Problem of Reach

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Friday Mailing: Disney+ AVOD and The Market Problem of Reach

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 4, 2022 10:30 AM PST

This morning Disney announced it will introduce an ad-supported subscription option in the U.S. in late 2022, with plans to expand internationally in 2023.We had a warning signal about this yesterday from The Information's Jessica Toonkel, and it was confirmed this morning.I think the key paragraph in the press release is this one:“Since its... This morning Disney announced it will introduce an ad-supported subscription option in the U.S....

Member Mailing: Amazon, MGM, and How Lina Khan's FTC Misunderstands the Value of IP in Streaming

entertainment media/telecom

Member Mailing: Amazon, MGM, and How Lina Khan's FTC Misunderstands the Value of IP in Streaming

By Andrew A. Rosen · March 2, 2022 11:30 AM PST

Key TakeawaysThe FTC is contemplating a lawsuit over Amazon's acquisition of MGMThe argument assumes that the withholding of content from other competitors is a competitive advantageBut, we have seen with Netflix's recent moves in gaming, the value of IP to streamers is evolving past streamingWe have seem similar evolutions in sports... Key TakeawaysThe FTC is contemplating a lawsuit over Amazon's acquisition of MGMThe argument...

Monday AM Briefing: YouTube at 2022 Upfronts, Which Streamers Will Survive in 2022?

Monday AM Briefing: YouTube at 2022 Upfronts, Which Streamers Will Survive in 2022?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Feb. 28, 2022 3:30 AM PST

Monday AM Briefing: YouTube at 2022 Upfronts, Which Streamers Will Survive in 2022?

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Monday AM Briefing: YouTube at 2022 Upfronts, Which Streamers Will Survive in 2022?

By Andrew A. Rosen · Feb. 28, 2022 3:30 AM PST

Seemingly lost in last week's news cycle were these data points shared by YouTube in a new blog post, YouTube is the Main Stream: Our NewFronts and Upfronts approach:according to Nielsen, YouTube reached over 135 million people on connected TVs in the U.S. in December 2021 (NOTE: up from 120MM in December 2020);YouTube accounts for over 50%... Seemingly lost in last week's news cycle were these data points shared by YouTube in a new blog...