Aug 7, 2024 Vol 73

Despite some false rumors, the TV is not going away.

How the TV is connected to what you see on it is definitely changing.  

Nielsen, which doesn't even track mobile viewing, said paid streaming companies generated 313 billion minutes of domestic TV watching from July 1-7.

That was record viewership on subscription streaming services over July 4th holiday.

Surveys tell us that well over 50% of viewers still want to view the content on the TV, no matter how they are accessing it - Broadcast, Cable or streaming.

Let me try for a minute to simplify the environment:

There are basically 2 segments to that we need to be aware of.  The first is Free Ad Supported Streaming Services (FAST) and the second is Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD).

Free advertising supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services, akin to linear or cable TV, represented by platforms such as Pluto TV, Rakuten TV, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Tubi, and Xumo. These services offer traditional television programming ("live TV") and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by advertising. They stand apart from platforms predominantly featuring user-generated content (like YouTube and Twitch), as well as from subscription-based ad-supported services (like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix).
The FAST ecosystem has several layers. The best-known FASTs are the aggregators, which fall into three categories.

FASTs owned by major media companies: Paramount's Pluto TV, Fox's Tubi, Charter Communications and Comcast's Xumo Play, Dish Network's Sling Freestream, ITV’s ITVX service, NEW ID's BINGE Korea[2] and Allen Media Group's Local Now.
FASTs owned by device manufacturers: Amazon Freevee (previously IMDb TV), The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels, Vizio WatchFree+, and TCL Electronics' TCL Channel.
Independent FASTs: Plex, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Crackle and Redbox Free Live TV, Mometu, Herogo TV, and Flixhouse.

Subscription VOD (SVOD) services use a subscription business model in which subscribers are charged a regular fee to access unlimited programs. Examples of these services include Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+, Apple TV+,Hotstar, Star+, Hayu, Noggin, BET+, Voot, Discovery+, Crunchyroll, SonyLIV, ZEE5 and GulliMax.

So the question is ... how do we navigate this very busy and fragmented arena to be effective with a marketing message?

You will be told the answer to that question is Targeting - get very specific in targeting your audience.  Follow them where they go.

I am going to add another word to that answer - Accurate Targeting.  Accuracy actually puts the execution in the strategy.

Stay tuned - the next edition of this newletter will address targeting.

Plan - Prepare - Expect to Win!

Jim

#xp2win

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