VideoNuze Posts

Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside the Stream, the podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.

Disney+ now has 118.1 million subscribers, less than 2 years since its launch. But Disney+ added just 2.1 million subscribers in the fiscal fourth quarter of 2021, a huge slowdown from the blistering pace of the past 2 years. This raises the question many investors are asking: can Disney+ reignite growth in 2022, and if so, how? Colin and I explore these questions on this week’s podcast.

Meanwhile, Hulu keeps chugging along, albeit in the shadow of Disney+. But as we also discuss, Hulu is already likely profitable (at least marginally), but looking out, it is poised to become a genuine profit engine for Disney. That’s because Hulu is one of a handful of scaled, ad-supported services and its Live TV + SVOD services is already generating nearly $85 per month in average revenue per subscriber. As CTV advertising becomes increasingly central to advertisers, Hulu is well-positioned to benefit.

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Mediaocean’s GM, Verification Asaf Greiner outlines a new paradigm for CTV advertising transparency in a 10 minute interview with me below. Asaf discusses one of the key issues in verification in CTV today, which is adapting browser-based technologies to CTVs, which of course don’t have browsers. Asaf previews what a modern approach involving industry collaboration would look like, and how higher transparency would be achieved.

Hear Asaf’s full presentation at next week’s CTV Advertising Brand Suitability Summit virtual on November 16th at 3pm. Asaf is one of 32 executives speaking on 10 different sessions across 2 afternoons. Reminder that all paid registrants will be entered to win a 50-inch Roku TV and Streaming Soundbar.

Watch the interview now!

Today only I’m pleased to offer complimentary signup for the Connected TV Advertising Brand Suitability Summit virtual, coming up next week, on Nov. 16th and 17th. The offer is available until tonight at 11:30pm ET. If you were planning to pay the $99 registration fee, I ask that you instead consider donating your fee (or any part of it) to a worthwhile veterans organization. As a little extra incentive, if you do so, and you email me your donor receipt, I will match the first 50 donations. Today is my birthday (I know, it’s hard to believe I’m 28 already), and so 11/11, Veteran’s Day, has always meant something extra to me.

When you visit the event web site, just click to register, and then in the ticket section look for the blue link “Enter promo code.” Click on it and enter VETS. Select “1” for the complimentary ticket, and “0” for the paid ticket. Then enter your information.

The Summit program includes 32 amazing speakers on 10 sessions across the two afternoons. Some of the sessions focus on more generally on the massive shift to CTV advertising, and what’s ahead, while others focus more specifically on brand suitability/safety, DE&I, measurement, identity management, brand building and multi-platform. If you’re partially or completely responsible for your company’s success in CTV advertising, I think you’ll get a ton out of the sessions (I’m confident in saying this because I’ve been a “fly on the wall” in all of them).

I am extremely grateful to the executives below who are taking time to share their insights:

Joe Barone - Managing Partner, Brand Safety Americas, GroupM
Natalie Bastian - SVP, Head of Marketing, Tubi
James Brown (JB) - EVP, Content Distribution & Affiliate Marketing, REVOLT Media
Lynda Clarizio - formerly President of U.S. Media, Nielsen
Yale Cohen - EVP, Global Digital Standards, Publicis Media
Danielle DeLauro - Executive Vice President, VAB
Colin Dixon - Founder and Chief Analyst, nScreenMedia
Karina Dobarro - EVP, Managing Partner, Horizon Media
Rayna Elliott - SVP, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Horizon Media
Sarah Fay – Managing Director, Glasswing Ventures and former CEO, Aegis Media North America (now Dentsu)
Natalie Gabathuler-Scully – SVP, Revenue Operations, Vevo
David George - CEO, Pixability
Asaf Greiner - GM, Verification, Mediaocean
Larry Harris - Founder and CEO, Alpha Precision Media
Darline Jean – Global COO, Matterkind, a Kinesso Company
Chelsea Jenkins - Director, Cultural and Inclusive Marketing, Kellogg Company
Eric John - VP, Media Center, IAB
Mike Law - President, Amplifi US | Dentsu
Joshua Lowcock - U.S. Chief Digital & Global Brand Safety Officer, UM
Jessica Masters - Director of East Coast Sales, Roku
Pooja Midha - Chief Growth Officer, Comcast Advertising
Michael Nathanson - Founding Partner, MoffettNathanson
Adam Noble - Director, Connected Television Product Marketing, Index Exchange
Jackie Swansburg Paulino – Chief Product Officer, Pixability
Will Richmond - Editor and Publisher, VideoNuze
Mike Richter - VP, Global CTV Revenue Operations, Trusted Media Brands
René Santaella - EVP, Digital & Streaming Media, Estrella Media
Susan Schiekofer - Chief Digital Investment Officer, GroupM North America
Josh Sharma - VP, Advertising Partnerships, Allen Media Group
Sarah Shriver - VP, Global Content Monetization & Strategy, A+E Networks
Marilois Snowman - CEO, Founder, Mediastruction
Dani Wolinsky - Global Head, YouTube Buying Experiences, Google

I’m also gratified to have Dentsu, GroupM, Horizon Media, Publicis Media and UM Worldwide - 5 of the biggest U.S. advertising agencies - as Agency Partners.

Many thanks to the Summit’s sponsors Pixability, Mediaocean, FreeWheel, Index Exchange and Roku.

SIGNUP NOW!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside the Stream, the podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.

On Comcast’s Q3 ’21 earnings call, management was vague about how Peacock is performing. In Corporate America, not highlighting numbers is typically a sign that things are not going as well as hoped and/or the numbers are not as impressive, comparably speaking, as those of competitors. A round of speculation about Peacock’s performance and what might happen next has ensued.

On this week’s podcast, Colin and I try to explain what we think is happening. The hard truth for Peacock is that it came to market very late and that it is competing against well-funded and highly aggressive competitors which are spending heavily on originals and on promotions - a commitment that Comcast/NBCUniversal have not publicly committed to match. Another issue - at least relative to Paramount+/Showtime, which gained 4.3 million subscribers in Q3 - is that Peacock doesn’t include NBC’s linear feed, and also doesn’t specialize in mature content, which has a strong draw. These two benefits (and “Star Trek”) have no doubt helped Paramount+/Showtime. Yet another issue is that popular NBC programming continues to be available in Hulu.

All of these factors, and others, are limiting Peacock’s appeal. As if that wasn’t enough, Comcast has mixed incentives related to Hulu, because it still has a 30% stake that is getting more valuable by the day, as Netflix stock hits new highs. Comcast is financially disincented from harming Hulu by pulling programming to help Peacock (all of this would have been moot if only Comcast had acquired Hulu when it had the chance back in 2018). Comcast has missed out on billions in additional revenue and value creation.

In short, Comcast/NBCU are now facing a dilemma with Peacock that can be boiled down to: Go Big or Go Home. Either commit to spending what's required to compete effectively (either at the AVOD or SVOD level), or recognize Peacock is going to keep treading water and will likely never break out. It’s a tough decision, but it reflects the penalty late entrants face, especially when squaring off against competitors like Netflix, Amazon, Disney, HBO Max, etc.

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The CTV Advertising Brand Suitability Summit (virtual) is two weeks away, on Nov. 16th and 17th and I’m really excited about how it has come together. There are now 28 amazing speakers confirmed on 10 sessions across the two afternoons (with a few more speakers still to be added).

The speakers reflect the diversity of our industry and I’m confident will share a wide range of perspectives and insights that will elevate our collective understanding of CTV advertising, brand suitability and safety, and DE&I. These are complex and interrelated topics that must be better understood in order to unlock the full potential of CTV/streaming/advertising technology and innovation.

The speakers include:

Joe Barone - Managing Partner, Brand Safety Americas, GroupM
Natalie Bastian - SVP, Head of Marketing, Tubi
Lynda Clarizio - formerly President of U.S. Media, Nielsen Holdings
Yale Cohen - EVP, Global Digital Standards, Publicis Media
Danielle DeLauro - Executive Vice President, VAB
Karina Dobarro - EVP, Managing Partner, Horizon Media
Rayna Elliott - SVP, Digital Strategy and Innovation, Horizon Media
Sarah Fay – Managing Director, Glasswing Ventures and former CEO, Aegis Media North America (now Dentsu)
David George - CEO, Pixability
Asaf Greiner - GM, Verification, Mediaocean
Larry Harris - Founder and CEO, Alpha Precision Media
Darline Jean - Global COO, Matterkind, a Kinesso Company
Chelsea Jenkins - Director, Cultural and Inclusive Marketing, Kellogg Company
Eric John - VP, Media Center, IAB
Mike Law - President, Amplifi US | Dentsu
Joshua Lowcock - U.S. Chief Digital & Global Brand Safety Officer, UM
Jessica Masters - Director of East Coast Sales, Roku
Pooja Midha - Chief Growth Officer, Comcast Advertising
Michael Nathanson - Founding Partner, MoffettNathanson
Jackie Swansburg Paulino - Chief Product Officer, Pixability
Will Richmond - Editor and Publisher, VideoNuze
Mike Richter - VP, Global CTV Revenue Operations, Trusted Media Brands
Trace Rutland - Director, Digital Hub, Ocean Spray Cranberries
Susan Schiekofer - Chief Digital Investment Officer, GroupM North America
Karen Schuchardt - SVP, Digital Sales & Partnerships, NBCUniversal
Josh Sharma - VP, Advertising Partnerships, Allen Media Group
Sarah Shriver - VP, Global Content Monetization & Strategy, A+E Networks
Marilois Snowman - CEO, Founder, Mediastruction

I’m honored that these executives are taking time from their busy schedules to speak at the Summit. A reminder, the Summit is the first and only connected TV advertising industry event that is 100% focused on all aspects of brand suitability and safety, including the integral role of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

I’m also gratified to have Dentsu, GroupM, Horizon Media, Publicis Media and UM Worldwide - 5 of the biggest U.S. advertising agencies - as Agency Partners. I have committed to directing 10% of all sponsorship revenue to Agency Partners to support their DE&I initiatives.

Many thanks to the Summit’s Presenting Partner Pixability, Gold Partner Mediaocean and Silver Partners FreeWheel, Index Exchange and Roku (more to come shortly). All of these companies have a number of complimentary passes to the Summit...so if you have a relationship with any of them and want to save $99 on registration, you know what to do.  

If you are interesting in sponsorship or partnership opportunities, please contact me (there's still a narrow window of time to be involved).

Reminder, all paid registrants will be entered to win a 50-inch Roku TV and Smart Soundbar, both generously provided by Roku.

REGISTER NOW!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Inside the Stream, the podcast where nScreenMedia’s Chief Analyst Colin Dixon and I take listeners inside the world of streaming video.

In Q3 2021 YouTube advertising increased by 43% to $7.2 billion, extending to 7 out of the last 8 quarters that revenue has grown by 30%+. It’s an enviable track record and on this week’s podcast Colin and I dig into what’s driving the outsized performance.

In short, as I wrote earlier this week, YouTube advertising is succeeding by focusing on the lower part of the marketing funnel, where advertisers concentrate on driving user actions/conversions (e.g. purchase, subscription, etc.). The value of these actions/conversions can be modeled into an ROI formula, and once they’re proven in with high conviction, advertisers will spend more and more, because there’s essentially an unlimited ROI. This is what has driven Google’s and other digital businesses over the years.

But, as we discuss, the untargeted ads running all over Major League Baseball’s post-season games show that targeting and conversions are still a long way away in TV advertising. That means that despite YouTube’s massive growth, there is still huge opportunity ahead, for both it, and all players in the CTV advertising ecosystem.  
 
(Note, I misspoke slightly when referring to TV ads I’ve seen in baseball’s post-season; I mentioned Chipotle, but it was actually Taco Bell whose ads I continue to be inundated with…showing how little attention I pay to them. My point about these ads being totally untargeted - since I’m uninterested in Mexican/fast food and there’s no data to suggest otherwise - remains.)

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I’m really excited to announce the program for the Connected TV Advertising Brand Suitability Summit (virtual) on November 16th and 17th. There are currently 11 sessions planned across the two afternoons, spanning every critical issue related to CTV advertising, brand suitability and safety, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (“DE&I"). There are 25 executives now confirmed as speakers, with many at the C-level and EVP/SVP-level. I’m extremely proud of the diversity represented by the speakers, and I’m confident that attendees will benefit from their wide range of perspectives. (There are still a few speaking slots remaining which will be filled shortly.)

A reminder, the CTV Brand Suitability Summit is the first and only connected TV advertising industry event that is 100% focused on all aspects of brand suitability and safety, including the integral role of DE&I. These are critical topics within the industry, and since CTV advertising is forecast to double to over $27 billion in the U.S. alone by 2025, it is poised to have an outsized impact.

I intend for the Summit to elevate our collective understanding of these topics and move the dialogue forward. The Summit has been really well-received by the industry and I’m gratified that GroupM, Horizon Media, Publicis, UM and Dentsu are all on board as “Agency Partners,” which means they’ll each have executives speaking and will widely promote the event to internal and external audiences (and provide complimentary passes to those interested in attending).

I am personally committing to advancing the industry by directing 10% of sponsorship revenue into a pool to be shared among the Agency Partners to support their DE&I initiatives.

Many thanks to the Summit’s Presenting Partner Pixability, Gold Partner Mediaocean and Silver Partners FreeWheel, Index Exchange and Roku (more coming shortly).

Also remember, all paid registrants will be entered to win a 50-inch Roku TV and Smart Soundbar, both generously provided by Roku.  

Learn more and register now!

Following is the program, which is also on the Summit web site.

See the program

Another quarter and yet another blowout performance by YouTube advertising. Alphabet reported Q3 2021 results yesterday, including YouTube advertising revenue of $7.2 billion, up 43% vs. Q3 2020. To say that YouTube has been on a roll over the past two years would likely qualify as a top 10 understatement by any reasonable person’s judgement.

Consider that the quarterly growth rate for YouTube advertising for each of the past 8 quarters has never been below 30%, except in the hardest Covid period, Q2 2020 when it grew 5.8% (keep in mind many other companies’ revenues shriveled in that quarter). The Q3 2021 growth rate of 43% follows Q2 2021 (up 84%), Q1 2021 (up 49%) and Q4 2020 (up 46%).

The growth streak is all the more noteworthy because YouTube advertising has been over $3.5 billion per quarter since Q4 2018 except Q1 2019 (reminder, Alphabet first began breaking out YouTube advertising in Q4 2019, and in that report it also revealed Q4 2018 revenue). To put YouTube advertising's dollar growth in perspective, in Q3 2019 it was $3.8 billion. In Q3 2021 just reported, it was $7.2 billion. That’s an additional $3.4 billion of revenue, or 89.5% higher. In other words, YouTube advertising is growing very fast off of a significant base.

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