The Medium by Andrew A. Rosen — The Information Subscriptions

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Member Mailing: Warner Bros. Discovery, Sinclair & David Zaslav's Vision for A Smaller Bundle

By Andrew A. Rosen · May 4, 2022 10:30 AM PDT

In May 2020 Discovery CEO David Zaslav used the Q1 2020 earnings call to argue the pandemic had proven that the cable bundle “is a huge subsidy that's being paid for sports”. He hoped that cord-cutting during the pandemic “might put pressure on some of these big sports players that are bundling and forcing and leveraging and jamming, to say even... In May 2020 Discovery CEO David Zaslav used the Q1 2020 earnings call to argue the pandemic had...

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Why The Comcast & Charter Joint Venture Is About Search & Discovery & Not Bundling

By Andrew A. Rosen · May 2, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

Last May, IAC Chairman Barry Diller told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin that he was bullish on Comcast’s strategy in streaming because they are “the only ones with both feet on both sides” of the streaming marketplace with X1 software and Peacock. He told Sorkin, “They've gone about the streaming thing smarter than anybody. They have the best hand."I... Last May, IAC Chairman Barry Diller told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin that he was bullish on Comcast...

Friday Mailing: Hulu Is The Future of Streaming Bundles

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Friday Mailing: Hulu Is The Future of Streaming Bundles

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 29, 2022 10:34 AM PDT

In Wednesday’s mailing, I quoted a long Twitter thread from IAC Executive Chairman Randall Rothenberg - “Television Enters the Fifth Dimension” - about the choices consumers face in the post-linear, post-Electronic Programming Guide (EPG) content consumption world:I can’t help but think that this phenomenon - many, many multiple services, each... In Wednesday’s mailing, I quoted a long Twitter thread from IAC Executive Chairman Randall...

Member Mailing: After Netflix's Self-Inflicted Wounds, Five Recommendations for Streaming CEOs

Member Mailing: After Netflix's Self-Inflicted Wounds, Five Recommendations for Streaming CEOs

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 27, 2022 11:31 AM PDT

Member Mailing: After Netflix's Self-Inflicted Wounds, Five Recommendations for Streaming CEOs

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Member Mailing: After Netflix's Self-Inflicted Wounds, Five Recommendations for Streaming CEOs

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 27, 2022 11:31 AM PDT

If I had the opportunity to sit across from every CEO in streaming right now, I would make five recommendations:Netflix is suffering from self-inflicted wounds but is still has “won” streaming, proceed with caution;Netflix’s struggles with password-sharing imply there are limits to reaching 1B streaming subscribers;Discount FASTs (especially... If I had the opportunity to sit across from every CEO in streaming right now, I would make five...

Monday AM Mailing: Failing To Reach Its Disney-esque Objectives, Netflix Becomes Reed Hastings' Frankenstein

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Mailing: Failing To Reach Its Disney-esque Objectives, Netflix Becomes Reed Hastings' Frankenstein

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 25, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

In 2020 and early 2021, a theme of Netflix’s messaging was its naked ambition to become like Disney, if not overtake it.In September 2020, Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings told the New York Times that two of the best authors in the entertainment industry were Neal Gabler, who wrote the definitive biography of Walt Disney, and Bob Iger, who had been... In 2020 and early 2021, a theme of Netflix’s messaging was its naked ambition to become like...

Friday Mailing: The Vibe Shift… “It’s All Happening”

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Friday Mailing: The Vibe Shift… “It’s All Happening”

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 22, 2022 9:30 AM PDT

I have a new opinion piece up on The Information, "Netflix’s Best Advertising Bet Won’t Require Software". I argue "Let the other streamers invest in precision-targeted digital ad delivery. The old network TV model may wind up being a better fit for the market leader."It's an angle I had not considered in "Mark My Words, We Must Imagine... I have a new opinion piece up on The Information, "Netflix’s Best Advertising Bet Won’t Require...

entertainment media/telecom

Member Mailing: Why Two New Disney+ Discount Deals Reflect Advantages Over Netflix

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 20, 2022 8:48 AM PDT

After yesterday’s surprisingly disappointing Netflix Q1 2022 earnings call, it is worth revisiting my favorite line in the IAC letter to shareholders about its investment in MGM Resorts:Similar to Disney’s advantages over pure-play streaming companies with an iconic brand and multiple avenues to monetize the same intellectual property between... After yesterday’s surprisingly disappointing Netflix Q1 2022 earnings call, it is worth...

Monday AM Briefing: Incoming Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership Meet HBO Max's Purchase Funnel

Monday AM Briefing: Incoming Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership Meet HBO Max's Purchase Funnel

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 18, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

Monday AM Briefing: Incoming Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership Meet HBO Max's Purchase Funnel

entertainment media/telecom

Monday AM Briefing: Incoming Warner Bros. Discovery Leadership Meet HBO Max's Purchase Funnel

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 18, 2022 3:30 AM PDT

On Wednesday I built the Member Mailing - Comparing Netflix & HBO Max Conversion Funnels - around an opinion column from Marketing Week’s Mark Ritson that argued (emphasis in bold mine):Netflix is testing a stricter approach to passwords and subscription. Not because they have suddenly become mean spirited or more authoritarian. But because... On Wednesday I built the Member Mailing - Comparing Netflix & HBO Max Conversion Funnels -...

entertainment media/telecom

Friday Mailing: Do Streaming Brands Need Their Own Sonic Versions of Netflix's "Tudum"?

By Andrew A. Rosen · April 15, 2022 10:30 AM PDT

I cut a section of Wednesday’s mailing about streaming services not having a “sonic” dimension to their brands like Netflix’s “tudum”. It was under the Awareness section of my walk-through of a generic conversion funnel. It was not adding to the longer essay, it's a short essay in itself, and I thought it would be worthwhile to send it today... I cut a section of Wednesday’s mailing about streaming services not having a “sonic” dimension to...

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

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

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

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

entertainment media/telecom

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)...

entertainment media/telecom

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...

entertainment media/telecom

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

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

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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...

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

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

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

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

entertainment media/telecom

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...