VideoNuze Posts

Disney reported its fiscal Q3 2023 this week, with Disney+ global subscribers (excluding Disney+ Hotstar) growing 800K to end at 105.7 million. Both ESPN+ and Hulu stayed approximately flat too. The sore point was Disney+ Hotstar, which lost 12.5 million subscribers to end at 40.4 million, primarily due to the loss of IPL cricket.

It is less clear what’s ahead for Disney+ subscribers with another $3 per month price increase planned, taking the ad-free tier up to $13.99 per month. With the ad-supported tier remaining at $8 per month, the company said it is guiding new subscribers to that tier. Meanwhile Disney will also begin imposing password sharing restrictions like Netflix has. Add in the strikes which will constrain new content, and it seems like elevated churn is on the way.

Colin and I discuss all of these changes and more, as Disney continues to evolve.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (31 minutes, 29 seconds)

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In Q2 2023 WB Discovery lost 1.8 million subscribers globally, including 1.3 million domestically and 500K internationally. On the other hand, ARPU increased to $11.09 domestically and $3.65 internationally, for a blended increase to $7.71. On this week’s podcast we discuss the results and what’s ahead, as the company moves forward with its HBO Max streaming service that now includes Discovery+ content.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (21 minutes, 56 seconds)

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In Q2 ’23 Comcast lost 543K domestic video subscribers, up from a loss of 521K a year earlier. In total, for the past 6 quarters, Comcast has lost almost 3.2 million subscribers, or nearly 18% of the 18.2 million subscribers it had on December 31, 2021, to bring it to just under 15 million currently.

On the brighter side, Peacock continues to make progress, adding another 2 million subscribers to reach 24 million. Comcast said some of Peacock’s gains are coming from Comcast video and broadband subscribers who lost complimentary access to Peacock.

Colin and I discuss these various moving pieces, along with the impact of the writers’ and actors’ strikes on both of the businesses.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (25 minutes, 58 seconds)

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Not that long ago, before Netflix became a household name, “premium TV” referred to HBO, Showtime and Starz. They, and their brand extensions, were all subscription-based, advertising-free networks with edgier programming that couldn’t be found elsewhere on the dial. Showtime had plenty of hits over the years, with shows like “Dexter,” “Billions,” “Shameless,” “Weeds” and “Ray Donovan” earning loyal audiences.

Flash forward to this week, as Paramount+ With Showtime officially launched, and decades-old Showtime became an appendage to the Paramount+ primary brand. For a mere $2 increase per month (to $11.99), all the Showtime programming instantly became available to Paramount+ ad-free subscribers.

Showtime’s evolution speaks volumes about how streaming has upended the broader TV industry. In this week’s podcast Colin and I try to put it in perspective.  

Listen to the podcast to learn more (30 minutes, 28 seconds)

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This week we’re pleased to interview Ben Serridge, Director of Product Management, Google, who is focused on Google TV’s content and monetization. Ben explains what Google TV is and how it’s being positioned in a highly competitive TV OS market. He also details how Google TV is working with various TV OEMs. In particular, Ben emphasizes how Google TV anchors on personalized content recommendations. Key to this is Google TV’s new live guide which just received a big upgrade. Ben also shares what’s ahead for the live guide.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (30 minutes, 3 seconds)

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Colin has attended a couple conferences recently where some industry colleagues have likened FASTs to “cable TV 2.0.” On today’s podcast we discuss the distinct differences between FASTs and the traditional cable TV model, starting with the biggest one, which is that FASTs aren’t paid any type of carriage fee to be included on platforms (in fact, as we discuss, the opposite is often the case, with platforms requiring fees for promotion/visibility).

However, as Colin notes, one point of similarity between the models is the over-reliance on the electronic program guide (“EPG”) as a primary navigation aid for viewers. We discuss the limitations of the EPG, and how, with seemingly infinite FASTs scrolling by in an EPG, the viewer may have a “paradox of choice” experience, defaulting to TV/shows that are familiar. The EPG’s limitations is also prompting platforms to cap the number of FASTs it includes, and focus on those with well-known brands and franchises.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (30 minutes, 2 seconds)

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Last Thursday was VideoNuze’s fourth annual Connected TV Advertising Summit virtual which featured 27 senior executives on 6 sessions in 1 high-impact afternoon.

Below are links to each of the session recordings along with descriptions of each session and its speakers.

Many thanks to our 5 generous partners Beachfront, Extreme Reach, PadSquad, Pixability and Roku.

We covered a lot of ground during the Summit which Colin and I tried to distill into our 5 key takeaways on last Friday's Inside the Stream podcast.

Enjoy!

[VIDEO] Welcome and How CTV’s Omnipresence is Reshaping the TV and Advertising Industries

[VIDEO] Inside CTV’s Biggest Opportunities and Challenges - The Three Year Perspective

[VIDEO] Understanding CTV/Streaming Business Model Choices: Paid, Hybrid, FAST

[VIDEO] Why CTV’s March to Full-Funnel/Lower-Funnel and Shoppable TV is Inevitable

[VIDEO] How Innovation is Driving the Value of Content and Advertising in CTV

[VIDEO] Unraveling the Measurement and Attribution Imperative

The following video was recorded at VideoNuze’s third annual Connected TV Advertising PREVIEW: 2023 virtual on February 28, 2023.

Welcome and How CTV’s Omnipresence is Reshaping the TV and Advertising Industries
CTV is now omnipresent in U.S. households, in turn completely reshaping the TV industry. Viewers are embracing streaming and wide array of streaming choices. In this stage-setting session, one of the industry’s leading researchers lays out all most important data, including newly-released survey results underscoring the extent to which viewers are shifting their behaviors.

Bruce Leichtman – President and Principal Analyst, Leichtman Research Group (presenter)
Will Richmond – Editor and Publisher, VideoNuze (interviewer)